When the Work Leaves the Studio: Thank You, Cowichan Public Art Gallery
- jeannettesirois
- Dec 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Bearing Witness, my current solo exhibition, is on view at the Cowichan Public Art Gallery from November 28, 2025 to February 28, 2026, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the people and the work behind this exhibition.
Cowichan Public Art Gallery is a volunteer-driven public art gallery serving the Cowichan region, located on Vancouver Island, BC. Exhibitions like this do not happen through a single gesture or task. They are built through sustained attention, coordination, and care across many moving parts.
Under the curatorial leadership of Janine Duns, this exhibition has been thoughtfully organized from start to finish. It is the alignment of many elements: scheduling, logistics, installation decisions, public programming, communication, and outreach, along with the steady holding of details that allow the work to be encountered clearly and with intention. That level of attentiveness shapes how an exhibition is experienced, even when much of that labour remains unseen.
Bearing Witness brings together three bodies of work—At the Table, Mortal Coil, and Bad Hair Day. Each operates differently, but they are connected by an ongoing concern with the body: how it carries experience, how it is read, and how it insists on presence.
This exhibition also marks an inaugural public presentation for At the Table. I am grateful that Janine recognized the importance of this series early on and supported its first full public showing. This exhibition functions as a starting point that helps establish the series in the world and sets the course for where it will travel and grow next. That kind of early public support is important for any artist building work over time.
Public art galleries play a crucial role in their communities. They create access to art outside of commercial spaces. They make room for work that asks time, attention, and reflection. In regions like the Cowichan Valley, they act as cultural anchors-places where art, dialogue, and community meet. CPAG’s ongoing efforts toward funding and expanding this heritage space speak to a long-term commitment to the cultural life of the region, and that commitment matters.
I want to acknowledge the care and dedication Janine Duns has brought to the gallery and to this exhibition in particular, as well as the many others involved—from docents to writers to volunteers-whose work has helped shape and support this show.
To Janine, the volunteers, and everyone who contributes their time and energy to Cowichan Public Art Gallery: thank you for the work you do and for the space you hold for artists and audiences alike.
Bearing Witness is on view at Cowichan Public Art Gallery, 2687 James Street, Duncan, BC, until February 28, 2026. I will be giving a public artist talk on January 17, 2026 from 1–2 pm.
— Jeannette
Comments